Police: Minor injuries for man run over by train in Schenectady

Paul Nelso, Times Union

By Paul Nelson

Updated 4:48 pm, Thursday, August 15, 2013

Police and emergency workers respond on Aug. 15, 2013, to Campbell Avenue in Schenectady. A man who was injured when he was hit by a train was treated for arm and leg injuries and taken to Ellis Hospital. (Paul Nelson/Times Union)

SCHENECTADY — A man escaped with only minor injuries after apparently being run over by a Canadian Pacific freight train as he lay on railroad tracks on Wednesday morning, according to Assistant Police Chief Jack Falvo.

He said the engineer of the train first reported seeing the man, whose identity had not been released by Thursday afternoon, on the tracks around 9:55 a.m., and then later dashing up a hill toward Hillhurst Park in the city's Bellevue neighborhood.

"He appeared to have psychological issues," said Falvo, who was among the dozen or so patrol, detectives and police commanders who responded to Perry Street and Campbell Avenue, across from the park, where the man was eventually located. It took them about 45 minutes to find him after he was run over, Falvo said.

Firefighter paramedics wrapped a bandage around the man's right leg as he was ringed by cops from Schenectady, Rotterdam and the Schenectady County Sheriff's Department, all of whom joined in the manhunt.